Electric toasters which provide for the toasting of bread and other food products have been commonly employed for numerous years. Such toasters include one or more cavities to receive the bread to be toasted, and a plurality of heating elements located within the cavities to toast the bread. Such toasters also include a carriage assembly having a handle which can be selectively moved between an up position and a down position to move the bread into and out of the toasting cavities. When the handle is moved to the down position, the carriage assembly activates a switch which completes an electrical circuit between a power source and the heating elements, thereby energizing the heating elements to toast the bread. In use, the heating elements heat a slice of bread such that both sides are evenly toasted.
Electric toasters which additionally provide for the toasting of pastries, bagels, and other food products have also been employed for many years, such as a toaster manufactured by the applicant since the late 1970's. Such toasters have a design similar to the toasters of the above-described type; however, they also include a heat reduction assembly having a lever which can be selectively moved between a "toast" full heat position and a "pastry" reduced heat position.
When the handle is moved to the down position and the lever is moved to the "toast" full heat position, the heat reduction assembly maintains the electrical circuit between the power source and the heating elements wherein all of the heating elements operate at full heat. In use, the heating elements heat, for example, a slice of bread such that both sides are evenly toasted.
When the handle is moved to the down position and the lever is moved to the "pastry" reduced heat position, the heat reduction assembly modifies the electrical circuit between the power source and the heating elements wherein selected heating elements operate at full heat and selected heating elements operate at a reduced heat. In use, the heating elements heat, for example, a sliced bagel such that the "cut" side is toasted and the other side is only warmed. At the end of the toasting cycle, the lever remains in the reduced heat position. Therefore, on the next toasting cycle, if a user wants to toast bread or other food products on both sides, he has to remember to move the lever back to the full heat position. In actual practice, it has been found that many users fail to move the lever back to the full heat position, resulting in toasting on one side and warming on the other.